An immersive jukebox musical production based on the 1994 Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is to close more than four months early in the West End. Priscilla the Party! had been booking until the end of September but will now have its last performance on 26 May. In a statement, the producers said that it was “no longer sustainable” to support the show financially and that “the production has been facing difficult times”.
Billed as an “all-singing, all-dancing immersive party and musical theatre extravaganza”, the show is running at London’s £1bn Outernet complex in the Here venue with an audience capacity of just over 700. Theatregoers can join in the show on the dancefloor or choose a seated ticket including dining options. The show’s website reveals “good availability” for all but one of the remaining 23 performances. Prices start at £45.
Priscilla the Party! is the latest in a string of recent high-profile West End musicals to announce an early closure. The Temptations jukebox musical Ain’t Too Proud closed more than three months early last September. Despite rapturous reviews, Crazy for You closed three weeks early at the end of last year. In February, The Time Traveller’s Wife ended a month earlier than planned. Opening Night, starring Sheridan Smith, will close two months early on 18 May due to what producers called a “challenging financial landscape”. Eyebrows were also raised when Disney’s Frozen, which has received five-star reviews, announced it will close at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in September after a three-year run.
Priscilla the Party! opened in March to some favourable reviews, including three stars from the Guardian’s Kate Wyver who said the audience delighted in its “glittering camp chaos”. Several critics predicted it would enjoy a considerable run. The film has a huge fanbase and a 2009 West End musical adaptation starring Jason Donovan ran for more than two and a half years. However, on Monday evening, producers Randall A Buck, Patrick Bywalski and Rod Gunner, in association with Nullarbor Productions, Blue Stage Entertainment and MGM On Stage, announced Priscilla the Party!’s closure “with regret and sadness”.
Their statement added: “We can find comfort in knowing that the decision to close has nothing at all to do with the show itself. The extraordinary reviews and overwhelming positive response from audiences is solid proof of that. Numbering hundreds, every person in every department should be proud of their contribution.”
